News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-02-03
BRONCHO LOUIS LIFE.
A FEMALE TERROR OF THE WEST.
The WOman's Grief when Her son Tried
TO Swear Her Life Away-His Wish to
Have Her Hanged, and TO Get Hold of
Her Property.

| TO Swear Her Life Away-Hts Wish to
Have Her Hanged, and to Get Hold OF
Her Property.
LAS CRUCES, N. M-Though new,
this country has become old enough to
have an occasional example of the effects
of heredity. Broncho Lou, the woman
desperate, who not many years ago was
t e terror of southern Colorado, has
son who has lust distinguished himself
by committing perjury In the hope oil
having his mother hanged, so that he
might inherit her property. Up to
1881 Lou belonged to a band OF outlaws
which made its headquarters in Col
orado. Since that time and under varl-
Gus names she has lived on ranch in
Lincoln county in this territory, where
she had considerable stock. In her
Younger days she was q dashing woman,
| with enough of grace and health, bright
ness of eye, and freshness of complexion
to make her pass as reasonably good
looking. She was as queer compound
of ferocitv and gentleness, devlishness
and decency, brutality and womanliness
as was ever seen. She rode horse like
man. She was strong and 1.-the and
could endure anything. In spite OF
her hard life her figure was trim, her
voice musical, and her hands def. She
| could kill a man with revolver or knife
| and nurse wounded OF sick companion
with equal dexterity. She was an ex-
pert in all games of chance, and on
more than one occasion she figured as a
dealer in gambling houses, where her
! shrewdness and nerve brought her big
salaries. An unerriug marksman, no
one cared to get within the range of her
| rife. She is credited with killing two
husbands in Colorado, and nobody
knows exactly how many she has made
away with here.
When the band to which she belonged
in Colorado became so troublesome that
the settlers could put up with their law
| lessness no longer, posse was organized
| to 90 in pursuit The desperadoes were
! encountered at an abandoned railroad
camp, and after two or three men had
been killed on both sides, four of the
outlaws, including Broncho Lou, were
| obliged to surrender, the others getting
away. Lou was not injured, but her
three companions were all severely
| wounded. Although it was the inten-
| ton of the crowd to lynch the fellows,
| Lou persuaded them to desist, and on
her suggestion all were conveyed to the
ia1l at Las Animas. Here the feelir g
was so great that no one would attend
the wounded prisoners, but Lou dressed
their wounds and brought them out all
right. As little restraint had been put
upon her, she did not have much diff
Guilty in making arrangements for the
IF N
morning the jailer found that all were
gone.
If they had left the country then it
was probable that they would not have
been pursued, but they remained in the
southern part of the State, committing
many depredations. When these be
came intolerable another posse set out,
and a pitched battle was eventually
fought with the thieves, in the course of
which several of the latter were again
taken prisoners. The posse had ropes
ready and were about to lynch their cap
tives, when Lou and one companion,
well mounted and armed, descended
on the party with such impetuosity as to
stampede it and give the prisoners a
chance to escape. Going south, Lou
was never afterward on Colorado soil.
Her old-time companions scattered, and
she married again and settled down in
Lincoln county, the haven of Western
toughs, maxi g occasional journeys to
the towns round about, as the inclina-
ton moved her. At that time she was
known as Mrs. Yankers, though she was
Familiarity designated by her wild &C
quaintances by the old Colorado sobri-
quet of Broncho Lou.
She was in Socorro in 1888, and while
engaged in a gambling game with
Robert Black she shot him dead. 1t
was shown by her associates that Black
had been the aggrcssOr, and on the
preliminary examination she was dis
missed. Later on the Grand Jury in
vestigated her case, but found no in
dictment. Apprehending no more
trouble on this score, Lou went back to
her ranch, and there married William
Dawson, with whom she lived on better
terms than had characterized her rela-
tions with any of her previous husbands,
But he became involved in a quarrel
with John II. Good and was killed 10y
him, and Lou came here to prosecute
the murderer. While in this town word
was received by her from Socarro to the
effect that she had been indicted there
for the murder of Black, and she at
once took steps to investigate the matter.
1t was not long before she discovered
that enemies had been before the Grand
Jury, but she did not learn the full
truth until last week, when her case
came for trial before Judge Henderson
Besides the attorney whom she had
retained, Broncho Lou had her son,
a young fellow named William Raper,
with her, and up to the minute that he
took the tand she and her friends sup
posed that he was friendly to her.
Once under oath, however, he proved
most dangerous witness against her.
He awore that Black had been killed by
his mother in cold blood, and that the
weapon found in his possession was
placed in his hands after he fell, to give
color to the story of self defence. So
pointed was his testimony that for
short time 1t was feared that Lou was
doomed, but her attorney had not gone
far with the Cross-eXamination before
the young scoundrel became involved in
contradictions, and at last owned up to
the fact that he had gone before the
Grand Jury and procured the indict
ment, and that he hoped by swearing
against his mother to have her hanged
or sent to prison for life, so that he
could get her property. The crowd in
attendance was very demonstrative, and
the Judge more than once let fall re
marks which showed his adherence of
the conspiracy so brazeuly entered into
and so impudently confessed. While
he was making his confession, Broncho
Lou sar with her hands to her face, cry
ing, and when she was told to take the
stand it was some time before she could
proceed. Her first exclamation was:
'He is my boy"
Then she sobbed in uncomfortable
grief, and about fifty old frontiersmen
hitche up their trousers, frightened
their belts, cleared their throats, or
swallowed hard as they first looked at
her and then at the young rascal, who
was covering in a corner near the jury
1t was a long time before her LAWYER
could induce her to answer a question,
but when the Judge admonished her in
kindly way she took up the boys mar
| rative and denied t most emphatically.
In his address to the jury the Prose
| cutting Attorney was compelled to admit
| his disappointment in the way Raper's
| testimony had turned out, and the coun-
sci for Lou gave the boy such an excori-
alton as one does not often hear in these
! parts without a revolver accompaniment.
| The jury took the case and in five min
utes returned a verdict of not guilty.
which was received with wild cheering.
! As soon as the court room was cleared
| the men in town organized for the pur-